Hi Pike,
I will second Russell's recommendations.
If money is not an issue, then a small triplet with a built-in field flattener and solid focuser would be most hassle free and relatively easy to use, perhaps something like this one:
http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/...d-sensors.html
But let's not forget a good tracking mount - essential part of anyone's astro-rig. You can take quality wide-field space images without a telescope, just with a DSLR attached to a good mount, but to my knowledge you cannot take quality space photos (perhaps with the exception of a few planets and the moon) without accurate tracking, no matter how good your telescope is.